The present invention relates generally to a beverage cooling device, and more particularly, to such a device as may be submerged into a beverage.
It has been estimated that more than one billion beverage cans are sold or consumed every single day. During consumption of most beverages from a can or bottle, the desirable temperature of consumption is preferably about 45.degree. F. In order to achieve this temperature, grocery stores and other convenience stores, as well as individual members of the consuming public and restaurants, of necessity keep the beverage cans refrigerated until the beverage contained therein is consumed.
Refrigeration of the beverage containers not only costs money from the standpoint of the energy consumed by the refrigeration of the beverages, but also consumes storage space which perhaps could have been more effectively utilized for the storage of other products. Additionally, since refrigeration units also typically utilize freon gas, which gas has been linked to depletion of the ozone, there are several reasons why it would be desirable to not have to refrigerate beverage containers.
Unfortunately, it has not yet been acceptable practice to serve canned beverages which have not been refrigerated, except to the extent that ice is provided with the beverage to be consumed to lower the temperature of the beverage to about 45.degree. F. before consumption. However, the use of ice in the lowering of the temperature of a beverage has the unwanted effect of watering down the beverage to be consumed, and thus adversely affecting the taste.
On a much larger scale, large beverage containers such as beer kegs, and to a lesser extent cans and bottles, have been cooled by submerging them in ice. Sometimes, fire extinguishers have been used to cool the container wall itself such that over a period of time the cooled container walls in turn reduce the temperature of the beverage contained therein.
Other attempts have been made to cool items through the use of chemical reactions. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,504 discloses a chemical thermal pack which has a sealed envelope filled with a powder that produces or absorbs heat when the powder is dissolved in water. The envelope is separated from a quantity of water by a rupturable membrane. The envelope is contained within an outer pouch. Additional examples of heat producing thermal packs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,328,136 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,979,463.
One drawback associated with normal usage of each of these thermal packs is that, at best, they could only be utilized to cool the outside of the beverage container and, as such, a large amount of their cooling effectiveness is lost, since only one side of such a pack could be in contact with the beverage container. Additionally, attempts to cool a can in this manner result in the temperature difference from abient being approximately 10.degree. F., which is not sufficient. Further, such packs are relatively bulky.
It is thus apparent that the need exists for an improved beverage cooling device which can effectively cool a beverage prior to consumption.